In our social networks we posted a question:

WHAT IS THIS STRUCTURE AND WHAT WERE THESE BARGES FOR?

In the foreground of the painting “Fontanka at the Summer Garden” there is a live fish cage. These are large superstructure barges used for the fish trade. They housed trade and storage facilities, as well as rooms in which clerks and workers lived. Live fish were stored in auxiliary vessels called live fish barges, or cages. There are slots about 2 cm wide in the walls and bottom of the cages, through which water exchange takes place, which allows keeping the fish alive for a long time.

In a photograph from the early 20th century, you can see this fish shop on the water. The clerk is on the cage barge.

Enjoy your walks in the gardens of the Russian Museum.

#gardensoftheRussianMuseum #MikhailovskyGarden #summerGarden #RussianMuseum #rusmuseum_gardens #igardens # Glossary